Lost Paradise
by Man's Middle Moniker
Summary: Kaito had discovered another Living World and had wondered how it had successfully retained its anonymity without Soul Society noticing for a millennium. However, the minute he learned of its corruption, he no longer questioned its absence from Soul Reaper records, for it would have further contaminated the noblesse minds that already plagued the lost paradise.
1. R0, S0, C0: A Glimpse to the Future

_The following is subject to change in future chapters!_

 _However, this information, once uploaded, will_ _ **not**_ _be altered in the future._

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 _ **Lost Paradise**_

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 **Summary:** Kaito had discovered another Living World and had wondered how it had successfully retained its anonymity without Soul Society noticing for a millennium. However, the minute he learned of its corruption, he no longer questioned its absence from Soul Reaper records, for it would have further contaminated the noblesse minds that already plagued the lost paradise.

 **Character(s):** [OC, Esdeath], Night Raid, Jaegers

 **Genre(s):** Angst, Friendship

 **Rating:** M

 **Warning(s):** _Gore, death, war, sexual content, religious dogma._

 **Language(s):** English : English ;

 **Crossover(s):** Bleach, Akame ga Kill, soft X-Overs

 **Beta(s):** _N/A._

 **End Notes:** Plot Bunny.

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 **Disclaimer:**

I do not own _Bleach_ , that belongs to _Tite Kubo_.

I do not own _Akame ga Kill_ , that belongs to _Takahiro_.

I do not own _RWBY_ , that belongs to _Monty Oum_ and _Rooster Teeth_ , extensively.

I do not own _Code Geass_ , that belongs to _Ichir_ _ō_ _Ō_ _kouchi_.

I do not own the _OC Sarizawa Kaito_ , that belongs to _Antex-the Legendary Zoroark_.

I do not own any _media_ presented in this Fanfiction, they belong to their respective _artists_.

I do, however, own any and all _OCs_ , _AUs_ , and twisted _plot/Canon_ (unless explicitly stated otherwise).

Please _support_ the official _releases_.

 _Now, for the love of God, let this Fanfiction begin!_

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 _ **Displaying Current Records...**_

 _ **...**_

 **0.** Prequel

 **1.** Bunny Hopping

 **2.** Mammon and Empire

 **3.** Kill

 **4.** In Love with Madness

 **5.** Work in Progress Paradise

 **6.** Sacrifice

 _ **Selecting Current Record**_

 _...uploading..._

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 _ **Record #0:**_ _"Prequel"_

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 _ **Displaying Record Zero Scenes**_

 **...**

 **0.** _"Prologue"_

 _ **Selecting Current Scene**_

 _...uploading..._

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 _ **Scene #0:**_ _"Prologue"_

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 _ **Activating Record 0: Prequel**_

 _ **Activating Scene 0: Prologue**_

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 **Chapter #0:** _"A Glimpse to the Future"_

 **Location:** _Empire Colosseum_

 **Date:** _Unknown_

 **Time:** _Unknown_

 **POV:** _third, limited, former 2nd Lieutenant Sarizawa Kaito, age 237, appearance: 33_

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Kaito was sure of it. He'd been transported to a backwater planet - this he could deal with. The people were slightly insane - he could _also_ deal with this. The second beautiful woman he had ever fallen in love with being the craziest of them all? Now _this_ was something he couldn't deal with.

Esdeath certainly wasn't hard on the eyes for him, having porcelain white skin and piercing blue eyes. Her hair fell behind her left and right, accompanying some sort of fashion design of black plumes that followed them. She was in uniform, unsurprisingly, with her cross emblem embroidered into the front of her hat, her white blouse hugging her bursting bust embossed by dual pockets, and a short white skirt that gave way to even whiter leggings with heels. The tattoo just above her bosom was tantalizing.

His attraction was the problem. He was a widower; as evidenced by the hand-me-down hollow blade sheathed horizontally at the small of his back and the engagement ring on his right ring finger. She had seen it when it winked at her during the fight and under the light sapphire dome and droplets of a cool, refreshing wave of water as Kaito had driven his third weapon into the chest of some of his last opponents. He should not feel lust; less that of _love_ for the woman - strictly based on her appearance as her personality was inadequate to his preferences.

"Sarizawa Kaito," he introduced himself, awkward as the moment was. The woman only smiled; not just _any_ smile, however; it was downright _predatory_. His mind screamed _get out get out get out_.

Sirena and Tiburon shared his view. _'Ge_ _ **t ou**_ _t._ _ **Ge**_ _t ou_ _ **t. G**_ _et o_ _ **ut,**_ _'_ they parroted.

"Esdeath," she replied simply, taking his proffered hand possessively. "I want you to be my lover."

All of his cognitive activities ceased to function.

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 **End Chapter 0**

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 **Next Upload:** _To be Determined_

 _And now, for the love of God, let the next Fanfiction begin!_


	2. R1, S1, C1P: Chapter 1 Preview

_The following is subject to change in future chapters!_

 _However, this information, once uploaded, will_ _ **not**_ _be altered in the future._

* * *

 _ **Lost Paradise**_

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 _ **Displaying Current Records...**_

 _ **...**_

 **0.** Prequel

 **1.** Bunny Hopping

 **2.** Mammon and Empire

 **3.** Kill

 **4.** In Love with Madness

 **5.** Work in Progress Paradise

 **6.** Sacrifice

 _ **Selecting Current Record**_

 _...uploading..._

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 _ **Record #1:**_ _"Bunny Hopping"_

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 _ **Displaying Record One Scenes**_

 **...**

 **1.** " _Remnants_ "

 **2.** " _Forest Plaything_ "

 **3.** " _Reflected Moon Hamlet_ "

 **4.** " _Arc Township_ "

 **5.** " _Twin Blades Village_ "

 **6.** " _Eighth Vice Suburbs_ "

 **7.** " _Checkpoint Town_ "

 _ **Selecting Current Scene**_

 _...uploading..._

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 _ **Scene #1:**_ _"Remnants"_

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 _ **Activating Record 1: Bunny Hopping**_

 _ **Activating Scene 1: Remnants**_

 _ **Activating Chapter 1 PREVIEW**_

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 **Chapter #1:** _"To the Living Dead"_

 **Location:** _Formerly the 48th District West_

 **Date:** _Lost Date_

 **Time:** _Evening_

 **POV:** _third, limited, former 2nd Lieutenant Sarizawa Kaito, age 237, appearance 33_

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The area was thick with Spiritual Energy, it hung in the air like a viscous haze, and it felt like powder sliding down his throat; like his lungs became heavy with air; like his abdomen was weak from a stomach ailment; like his legs wobbling under the pressure.

The valley before him was full of fog and decay, the atmosphere full of the bright white occluding his vision; the smell weighing him to his knees as he tread through the blood ridden territory, bereft of skin; of muscle; of bones. He moved further into the damning mist.

Within the mist was a burden of weight upon his shoulders, the visible spiritual energy falling upon him like rainfall; blaring in his ears like loud thunder. Tiburon, who had been talkative up to this point, had yet to comment on the matter, just as curious as he was; just as alert as he was. When he had begun to reach the origin of the spiritual energy, a figure appeared in the distance unlike a silhouette; just the opposite.

The fog began to lift as he approached, revealing a bright green portal, sickly in color and even causing Kaito himself to feel queasy in his belly, which churned at the hue since it so closely resembled Ulquiorra's overall appearance; dark and green.

Despite this, he felt drawn to the opening, finding himself walking forwards into it, even if blood spilled out into his world; even if the thing blazed green flames at its edges, and the dark interior promised chaos; promised havoc; promised madness.

He approached.

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 **End Chapter One Preview**

 **Next Upload:** To be Determined

 _And now, for the love of God, let the next Fanfiction begin!_


	3. R1, S1, C1: To the Living Dead

_Now, for the love of God, let this Fanfiction begin!_

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 **Chapter #1:** _"To the Living Dead"_

 **Location:** _Formerly the 48th District West_

 **Date:** _Lost Date_

 **Time:** _Evening_

 **POV:** _third, limited, former 2nd Lieutenant Sarizawa Kaito, age 237, appearance 33_

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Kaito wandered. He had seen far too few people in the spaces between former settlements. Squatters; cannibals; bandits; Soul Reapers - all had been shells of their former selves, delving deeper and deeper into insanity; psychological conclusions defending the psyche; running far, far away from the dangers of the lands, which had become _las Tierras de Caza de las Huecos (the Hunting Grounds of the Hollows)_.

To the West he had gone, further and farther away from the husk that remained of the Court of Pure Souls; retreating from his failure to protect who he cared about; and furthermore from his utter defeat at the hands of a monster of a monster. He wasn't defeated by his own hubris, but by his own inner desires; his own hollow.

His own Hollow, the false representation of a final love; the fake mermaid that pulls sailors away from their great ships and drowns them. The one who took his true Zanpakutō from him; the one that was his heart; the one that was his end; the one that was his singer; the one that was his Māmeido (Mermaid).

He had become embittered to her and she had in turn refused him control over her powers, holding away the ability that would eventually allow him to avenge his friends and the loss of Māmeido to the Dragon Staff that he been forced to wield in his berserk state. He sealed them away with Urahara's Kidō at the highest his memory recalled, so that they never act without his express permission.

Tiburon (Shark), the blade of his late wife, had found him. Kaito took him with immediately, offering asylum in his own inner world to keep the last piece of her with him as best as he could; even if he buried the body; even if he made his peace. Her ring still rest on the now incorrect finger; the left ring finger. He wouldn't switch it until Ulquiorra was killed; by him; by friend; by foe; by himself, he didn't care - so long as Ulquiorra _died_.

He walked aimlessly, finding nothing of interest for years, until he had finally found something worth noting. A faint spiritual trail, and with nothing left to do, he followed it; like a lost dog.

Tiburon faded into view beside him, and like the Zanpakutō spirit he was, he did not walk but swam in the air, bringing a likeness of Māmeido that made Kaito's chest ache. She would often swim in his inner world - mostly because it was flooded - and in the material world where she would float beside him, slowly and purposefully kicking her feet to move. Tiburon almost mimicked her perfectly, subtracting the impeccable image due to his understanding of the situation, thus lowering the pain as well as he could for his new wielder.

Tiburon, who had been there with intention from the start, opened his mouth to speak. "You follow an unknown predator."

It was said with confidence as well as terror of the unknown, Kaito realized, but he commented on it not. Instead, he turned his head up to him. "What would you rather do? Risk the chance it is the _tercero_ and kill him with your power and mine, or lose him now?"

His voice was sarcastic, but it dripped with venom as he tripped over the title of his most despised adversary; his murderer; his widowmaker. Sarizawa Tia Halibel had been one of his many lifelines that had kept him optimistic of the worlds, and realistic when both the situation and her womanly intuitions called for it - Ulquiorra Cifer had taken that from him.

"It could also _not_ be him," Tiburon replied smoothly, floating in front of him and to his other side. "Would you risk it being someone more powerful than the _tercero_ and dying to them prior to your chances of a redemption?" He gestured toward the ring that still incorrectly lay on his left hand.

Kaito narrowed his eyes minutely, but held his tongue for the sake of his late wife's Zanpakutō. The living blade was half of her soul, and therefore that made her a still living being, despite its lifeline being another soul altogether. _"A part of her,"_ he argued within, _"that is literally the last remaining half of me that I trust after the destruction of Māmeido to the Dragon Staff."_ So he swallowed his pride and replied with no ill will spilt that he was aware of.

"If it is not _Cifer_ , then we will simply leave," Kaito decided, and being the host body to not only his original Zanpakutō, a foreign entity, the personification of his darkest desires, and half of his other half; as a host body to multiple partial souls; as the captain of his ship, he had the final say. Tiburon, for what it was worth, did not refute him, and returned to the inner world that had granted him asylum before he degraded with whatever remained of his initial wielder.

As Tiburon left him to his vices, Kaito had noticed that the strength of the spiritual energy had increased, and he could feel a faint tingling sensation on the edge of his skin, indicating that the pressure was strengthening; that he was approaching the curious destination; that he was nearer.

The forest gravel crunched beneath his feet unevenly, the path no longer maintained and under the mercy of the growing foliage, nature once making its effort on its home from long ago. The forest was also silent, lacking the sounds of birds, insects, and quadrupedal animals altogether, leaving behind an eerie trudge through the woods, his feet upon the path the only sound he could hear; the only thing rhythmic.

He finally approached the end of the forest to find himself standing on a cliff devoid of grass; of leaved trees; of _life_. Before him was a deep crater with a fog that rested over it like a blanket of death, too thick to pierce through with his sight.

The area was thick with Spiritual Energy, it hung in the air like a viscous haze, and it felt like powder sliding down his throat; like his lungs became heavy with air; like his abdomen was weak from a stomach ailment; like his legs wobbling under the pressure.

The valley before him was full of fog and decay, the atmosphere full of the bright white occluding his vision; the smell weighing him to his knees as he tread through the blood ridden territory, bereft of skin; of muscle; of bones. He moved further into the damning mist.

Within the mist was a burden of weight upon his shoulders, the visible spiritual energy falling upon him like rainfall; blaring in his ears like loud thunder. Tiburon, who had been talkative up to this point, had yet to comment on the matter, just as curious as he was; just as alert as he was. When he had begun to reach the origin of the spiritual energy, a figure appeared in the distance unlike a silhouette; just the opposite.

The fog began to lift as he approached, revealing a bright green portal, sickly in color and even causing Kaito himself to feel queasy in his belly, which churned at the hue since it so closely resembled Ulquiorra's overall appearance; dark and green.

Despite this, he felt drawn to the opening, finding himself walking forwards into it, even if blood spilled out into his world; even if the thing blazed green flames at its edges, and the dark interior promised chaos; promised havoc; promised madness.

He approached.

It swallowed him up, and the atmosphere completely changed.

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 **End Chapter 1**

* * *

 **Next Upload:** To be Determined

 _And now, for the love of God, let the next Fanfiction begin!_


	4. S2, C2: To the Lion

_Now, for the love of God, let this Fanfiction begin!_

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 ** _ **Displaying Record One Scenes**_**

 **...**

 **0.** _"Prologue"_

 **1.** " _Remnants_ "

 **2.** " _Forest Plaything_ "

 **3.** " _Reflected Moon Hamlet_ "

 **4.** " _Arc Township_ "

 **5.** " _Twin Blades Village_ "

 **6.** " _Eighth Vice Suburbs_ "

 **7.** " _Checkpoint Town_ "

 _ **Selecting Current Scene**_

 _...uploading..._

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 _ **Scene #2:**_ _"Forest Plaything"_

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 _ **Activating Scene 2: Forest Plaything**_

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 **Chapter #2:** _"To the Lion's Den"_

 **Location:** _unknown Forest_

 **Date:** _Unknown_

 **Time:** _Unknown_

 **POV:** _third, limited, former 2nd Lieutenant Sarizawa Kaito, age 237, appearance: 33_

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A distantly familiar birdsong fluttered in the air and his eyelids matched it in speed for a brief moment, blurred vision giving way to clear overhead blue skies, bereft of smoke and only white, fluffy clouds. The edge of his vision was assaulted by various shades of green; yellow; orange; red. They were leaves changing with the season with the onslaught of Winter upon him. A crisp breeze shook them minutely and bit his exposed epidermis, his nose invaded by the smell of pine and bark.

The sounds were loud - all of them so insectoid; so animalistic; so _undeniably_ _ **alive**_ that he lay there in shock for a moment before finally shaking his head. He tested the amount of integrity of the structure his muscular and skeletal system provided him and found little to no disappointing results: a small amount of tension; of soreness, but otherwise fit to move.

He slowly lifted himself up and off the ground, swiping at his mangled Soul Reaper garb; his shihakushō to dislodge any vegetation or debris that followed him. Once he was finally sure that he had thoroughly cleaned his clothing, he looked about himself to gain his bearings. He immediately Sonídoid into the sky and placed a small amount of spiritual energy beneath his feet to capture his fall, allowing him an invisible platform for him to step upon. He turned around himself and found the landscape around him beautiful; a farcry to what Soul Society had become.

"Where am I?" he wondered to himself. "What world am I in?"

He felt the change in spiritual density - he had been indeed transported to another world. He wasn't stupid; what with the vibrant color change; the musk that permeated the air; the seasonal change. Everything was different to the point that it would not be too farfetched to decide you were no longer of the same continent, let alone another realm altogether.

But if it was the case, how had he never caught wind of it? Kaito was sure that he had been tested time and time again and proven well-knowing of the worlds Soul Society had come to bring under its growing list of protected realms, full planet or not. Either this was one of the few worlds Soul Society likely kept secret or purposely removed, or it had somehow retained its anonymity even under the nose of the Reaper machine.

He narrowed his eyes. "Tiburon?" he called.

[Tiburon is unconscious at the moment, and Māmeido stirs from within the Dragon Staff, Maestro.]

His eyes scrunched up at the voice, hoping he'd never hear from it again. "How did you escape the confines of Urahara's bindings?"

The entity sighed, her undulating pair of voices not lowering his apprehension in the slightest. [To be honest, _I_ don't even know, Maestro.] He felt her shrug from behind him. [Urahara had good bindings, yes, but it means nothing against a creature who does not resist - such as myself.]

He then rolled his eyes. "Why is Tiburon unconscious?"

[The portal you approached had mild harmful consequences, and he sacrificed himself - he will awake within a day, by my calculations.] She sounded vaguely disinterested, but with his connection to her, he also felt genuine concern.

He shook his head. "Keep a fifteen meter distance from me and warn me ahead of time for uninvited guests; both hostile and friendly alike."

[Got it.]

She may not want to grant him use of her powers, but in situations where both are in the dark, she's willing to listen for a time. He would just have to be wary when they finally started getting information.

He cut to the chase, returning himself to the forest floor and stepped into a random direction, regardless of natural landmarks he mentally recorded when he had his high rise observation post.

Sirena was not like other inner Hollows, wont not only to sow chaos, but a meticulously created plan to cause the greatest of it. Most of all, she desired education on her surroundings, to learn powers; to learn weaknesses; to take what she would get and dish it all back like one great storm devastating a dock. Sirena was a crafty Hollow, and he wasn't about to allow her a second chance to get the better of him.

About halfway through the forest, Sirena spoke to him from afar, using the mental link they shared from their connection via spiritual body.

[We have a guest~] she giggled, fully intent on screwing with his unseen predator. [She is _very_ good at hide and seek, it seems! I want her!]

He tilted his head. _"A woman?"_ He was not sexist, only curious. He could count the number of women who would willingly attempt to and succeed in sneaking up on him - for one reason or another - on one hand. "Double team," he countered. "Hainawa and whip."

Sirena, while normally his darkest desires and all of his procrastinating form personified; or even his hatred of rules, did not frown and only widened her grin. He could not see the siren since she concealed her form from him, normally speaking from directly behind him. He quickly prepared himself as Sirena warned him of her proximity to him, and moved to find a vulnerable spot between two trees.

Then, she pounced.

It all occurred in less than a second, and the woman gasped in genuine surprise at her new, precarious circumstance. She hangs above him by a black whip about her white, luscious neck. He blinked at his own indecency.

The woman's life fell into the palm of his hand about as quickly as he gently placed his hollow hand upon her cheek, smugly staring at her misfortune as she hung like a marionnette. He found a sick jubilee welling in his chest at the sight of his stalker suspended by her neck, struggling before him - and a faint sense of pity that quickly produced a Hōho technique, arresting some of her simulated fall, and her feet scrambled to it like a parched mouth to water.

She is a very bodacious and beautiful woman, with long, blonde hair, and piercing golden eyes that drew him to her. She wore a black tube top, revealing open pants, and a yellow belt: this was where some faint spiritual energy leaked over her body, and it was especially evident that the lion ears, tail, and claws were granted to her by it.

The Hōho technique was just barely enough to help her regain her breath, albeit through a small opening - yet no room to speak, as she stared at her predator with a hint of fear in her eyes, and also what appeared to be a sort of anger combined in it. Her teeth grit, breath flowing in high pitch as she attempted to keep herself from losing any further amount of much needed oxygen. That's when he decided to _play with fire_ a little, as humans said.

His smile became vicious as he removed his hand from her face and held it up palm down, lowering it a bit so she visually knew he had full control over her life. Hope flared in her eyes as it slowly died with his hand movement, only to reignite when he brought it back up again. She found herself becoming more and more irritated as he played around with the height of her literal life on a string, before he coughed to himself and stepped forwards toward her, having been on his own set of spiritual particles.

"Hold still," he said, face returning to neutral, "hurts less," he promised, raising his right hand to her neck and grabbing the black whip, but sent his free hand out and activated Hainawa, the fourth Bakudō, to bind her hands and legs the moment he released her neck. The bindings extended from his hand to the canopy behind her and through several pivots finally came back to bind her from behind. When the whip finally retracted, she fell face first downwards, swinging away from him with her legs and arms tied behind her in a way that suspiciously looked like a Shibari.

[Well done,] Sirena complimented him, voice full of salacious approval. He couldn't help but appreciate the gesture from his Hollow side. Then again, he _was_ pandering a little more to her with his recent perverted actions.

She hung by her hands and legs now, growling like a lion. He just found that more amusing. He Flash Stepped in front of her, parallel to her, with his back above the ground. She ground her teeth at him and he widened his smile so she could see his, albeit less sharp then hers.

"Now, then..." he hummed thoughtfully, teeth shining up at her. "...who are _you_ to stalk me?" he wondered aloud, tilting his head at her in prompt.

She only narrowed her eyes and turned away with a sharp _harrumph_ , intending to ignore him. This caused him to sigh.

"Tell you what - you tell me what I want to know, and I'll buy you a drink at the nearest pub."

An eye turned back to him.

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 **End of Chapter 2**

* * *

 **Next Upload:** _To be determined._

 _And now, for the love of God, let the next Fanfiction begin!_


	5. C3: To the Hunting Grounds

_Now, for the love of God, let this Fanfiction begin!_

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 **Chapter #3:** _"To the Hunting Grounds"_

 **Location:** _unknown Forest_

 **Date:** _unknown Date_

 **Time:** _Night_

 **POV:** _a random deer, let's say...Bambi?_

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The sounds of night were tenfold louder than that of day, the nocturnal species outnumbering the diurnal animals. It was full of a cacophony of mating calls echoing over the large expanse of the forest. The waters rushed by in a nearby river; the animals moved quickly, snapping twigs; breaking leaves; crunching the oncoming snow as it lightly fell to the ground from the dark sky above.

One deer, such as this one, wandered alone, carefully placing its hooves onto the ground to prevent the least amount of audible noise from being produced. It looked around, smelling at the crisp air around it; taking in the sights with its black eyes; feeling the minute vibrations in the ground. All of these things were normal in the forest, away from humans; from civilization; from the preda-

An arrow whistled through the air and pierced its head, blood coating the wooden mock of a weapon.

"Good shot!" the blonde hush shouted, a smile on her face.

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 **POV:** _third, limited, Leone, age 23_

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The fire crackled, snapping at her when she reached for the food, the man across from her no longer having to resort to doing it himself. He'd already done so many times, admonishing her time and again about uncooked, unseasoned food not doing well on the stomach, but she had been adamant in the pursuit of the raw kills.

She had seen the way he had looked at her, unlike a piece of meat, and only as true prey. He was the perfect hunter in that regard; the way he had stalked the deer, its footsteps by hearing; its smell; the way he followed it with his eyes. He pulled the arrow into the bowstring, gently plucked the twine and pushed the wood from one another, and then released smoothly, the arrow's ersatz fletching brushing against his face as they passed, rushing through the air and piercing the hide of his prey.

She shuddered to think of the way he put that same amount of discipline into battle, with the way he lugged around three blades he consistently cleansed with white rags. He polished them with a modicum of whatever was in the bottle that he possessed. He inspected them for dust; debris; any sort of markings; any scratches. She desired to know what sort of man put this much care into tools, but thought before she acted for once, and held her tongue.

He was adroit in this craft, slowly rotating the delectable meat over the roaring fire in cooking it, doing so with one hand. Another hand ruffled around a bag resting at his waist, a tattered strap reaching over his opposing shoulder. He removed some items and placed them before the spit, before taking it and shaking some of its contents over it with great care. Her mouth watered at the new smells.

 _"Salt and pepper?"_ she wondered. _"Those are rare and expensive. Where'd he get the money for that?"_

"Drooling is unbecoming of you, Lioness."

Her eyes opened wide, and she commended herself from resisting an embarrassed blush from overcoming her cheeks, as one of her many prerogatives was to cave to her more bestial tendencies the longer she wore her Imperial Arms: Lionel. She shook her head quickly before smirking and wiping her mouth with her human hand.

"It's rude to stare, Hunter," she replied, watching the smile forming on his face. "What's your name?"

"It's rude to request a name before offering your own first," he shot back, looking at her with a hint of mischief, but she knew he lied not. If he even _had_ a heart rate, it didn't get louder or increase in frequency, and no verbal tic made itself present in the moment. She rolled with it for now, meaning to investigate later.

"Leone," she answered with playful irritation written on her face. "Now you?"

He chuckled. "Sarizawa Kaito."

"So, Mr Kaito-"

"Ah," he interrupted her, free hand outward as he laughed and smiled rather awkwardly, red dusting his cheeks briefly at his apparent blunder. She tilted her head in curiosity. "I should say that in my culture, my people state their surnames _before_ their given names. Kaito is my given name..."

"Ah, I see," she nodded, "very well, then, Mr Sarizawa, where is it that you are from?"

"Where are _you_ from?" he countered. " _I'm_ just a wandering minstrel deprived of my instrument."

"Oh, who would do such a thing - to steal from you?!" For what it was worth, she maintained a surprised look on her face to continue the charade, but he shrugged, ridding the area of the false tension. "Spoilsport," she deadpanned now.

"Glutton." He turned back to the fire to continue slow roasting the venison and other assorted meats from their cumulative hunting. There were three deer and two rabbits - though she _had_ stolen one of the tinier foodstuffs and devoured the thing before he had the chance to even touch it. Her pride was also hurt considering the fact that he had outpaced her in the forest when hunting, and that he had been the one to successfully kill three deer.

At least the one that she ate had been _her_ kill. She figured he wouldn't argue that.

"I'm not from around here, that's for sure," he continued, gathering her attention back to him. She watched him carefully as he began to remove the venison and place it onto a plate with leaves he'd washed at the nearby river tied together with twine made from vegetation. He looked to her finally as he began to pour some seasoning. "If you knew something about the area, I'd be grateful to hear it."

"I'm gonna need some incentive." He began to pull the food away. "NOTED! I'LL TALK!"

He chuckled in amusement. "Jumpy when it comes to food, huh?"

"Shut up!" she whined, annoyed slightly, turning away from him and crossing her arms under her breasts. Her eyes were knitted as she shouted at him, "I'm hungry, ba~ka!"

He laughed at her and she pouted.

She was going to ask for _a lot of drinks at the pub_ \- like he'd promised!

* * *

 **Time:** _Several Hours Later_

 **POV:** _third, unlimited_

* * *

It was sometime after the delicious meals, and Leone had fought to take first watch. She couldn't shake the innate feeling of someone watching her, but figured it to be her teammates.

She walked casually through the woods, careful to avoid the traps and sure with the thorough attention paid to their surroundings by Kaito that he would be safe for more than twenty minutes, which would overshadow her short meeting with the other members of Night Raid.

She approached slowly to the meeting area she had designated, before waiting for her fellow assassins to arrive. She did not have to wait for very long, as she finally heard others entering the area via her smell and her hearing, both enhanced by the Imperial Arms resting on her waist.

The five of them had finally gathered, and despite some quarrel between the colors yellow and pink, they had finally situated themselves for the meeting some distance away from their immediate subject.

Najenda, their leader, appearance shut away by the dark of night, snapped her metal fingers, signalling the pseudo meeting to commence.

"Leone," she began, looking towards the girl who was currently amusing herself with her hair, "what is the situation with the unknown?"

"His name is Sarizawa Kaito," she answered, shifting from one leg to the other for maximum comfortability - what little she could make off with standing anyway - "In his culture - of which he has neglected to inform me further of - states their surnames first. He knows little of where he is or any sort of society in the area at the moment. Called himself a nomad.

"He's also extremely powerful, showing great prowess in his strength, speed, and hunting capabilities," she counted off, adding, "and he also admitted to being a former assassin, so he already has training."

"What are you implying?" Bulat asked curiously, turning towards her. Even in the dark she could tell, for who could miss the giant, heart shaped pompadour?

"I'm suggesting adding him to Night Raid, of course," Leone proposed cheerfully, smiling brightly. "He's a hell of a fighter even from what little I've seen, _and_ he's a former assassin! He'd be a great addition."

"That's great and all," Mein piped in sarcastically. Then she placed her hands on her hips and leaned forward to emphasize a point, "but how are we going to initiate him? He doesn't sound like someone who wants to affiliate with _just_ anyone when he's a foreigner."

"He's not very well versed in Empire territory," Leone replied. "I'll go around with him and just tell him things as we go along." Najenda agreed.

"I can test both his mettle and his metal," Bulat smiled, catching a chuckle from Najenda and Leone. "I'll pose as a metalsmith in a nearby town and Leone will lead him there. If he wants to earn and learn of currency, recommend him to me," he turned to Leone, "and we'll go from there."

"I'll test his nobility," Scheele proposed, catching everyone's attention, "I'll be _captured_ by vagabonds or some random group, and I'll see if he'll attempt to save me with his supposed overabundance of power."

Najenda turned towards her. "I'll try and see if we can't use him to cull some of our own corruption from the army," she said. "I'll be sure to put someone who isn't corrupted in charge - that way there's a chance he'll get out of it alive." Scheele nodded and their leader turned towards the last member. "Mein?"

"Same," Mein piped in, seriously uninterested with the situation, as evidenced by her current preoccupation with cleaning her fingernails. "I'll pretend to be lost near Eighth's Vice where General HAM is." She shrugged, emphasizing he discontent with the current mayor of that town.

Leone stepped forward. "After Checkpoint, I'll lead him into the city and watch what he does with nobles, and then bring him back to Night Raid or kill him depending on his actions."

Najenda nodded. "Very well, that will be our plan. Move out."

With that, the figures disappeared into the forest.

* * *

When she returned, he was awake, barely illuminated by the crackling, dying fire. The shadows danced across his face as she felt a little apprehensive as he finally turned his dark eyes back upon her.

"How was your watch?" he asked, and despite all of her experience in infiltration, she couldn't help but feel a bit anxious as he levelled that look on his face. Without even attempting, he was extremely dangerous and intimidating.

"Boring," she finally answered, before trying to deflect any future question. "You want next?"

He took a moment, staring back into the fire briefly, before turning back up at her and nodding. "Get some sleep," he said.

"Haiiiii," she said slowly and boredly, slumping over as she approached the small, makeshift bed they had created. She yawned as he walked past her.

He threw an eye over his shoulder, not alerting the woman.

Sirena materialized behind him once Leone had settled, and the cat girl's ear twitched as the undulating tones reached his. [What will you do?]

It took no hesitation to reply.

"Hell if I knew. First time I'm ever around a damn cat girl."

Tiburon flew up beside him. "Pervert. Halibel would scold you."

He chuckled quietly to himself. "Yo se." Of course he knew.

* * *

 **End Chapter 3**

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** _To be determined._

 _And now, for the love of God, let the next Fanfiction begin!_


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